A close opening spell saw the visitors take a 9-6 lead at half time, with Leigh Halfpenny and Kris Burton exchanging penalty kicks in wet conditions in Rome.

Burton looked for a drop goal early in the second half, but his effort was off-target, allowing Alex Cuthbert to kick the ball away. Wales were then able to go on the attack, resulting in a try for Jonathan Davies.

Italy pushed hard as they looked to get back on level terms, but an error in the scrum saw Martin Castrogiovanni sent to the sin bin.